Friday, January 20, 2012

Luis Rivera apologized to school officials for implementing ridiculous slave questions into math equations for third graders.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a statement from Rivera,
who resigned Wednesday after teaching at Beaver Ridge Elementary since
2008, in which the educator apologized profusely for his “poor taste”:“I did not write those questions with the intent of being
malicious or offensive,” said Rivera. “I wrote poorly written
questions in an attempt to enhance student achievement. I have brought
shame to my family, and my school. For that, I cannot apologize
enough.”
Rivera was instructed to create a homework assignment
that correlated with the slavery lessons that the students were being
taught in Social Studies. The cross-curriculum method was intended to
reinforce their understanding of the subject matter. One of his most
specific instructions and the question that has caused him the most
trouble was to examine a day in the life of author, historian, orator
and former slave, Frederick Douglass. The question he came up with was highly offensive to many African-American parents:

“If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in one week?”
Rivera, who told officials that he “immediately felt remorse and
embarrassment” when he realized that parents were offended, claims that
teachers were told to explain to their students the difficult obstacles
that Douglass had to overcome to become a successful, respected leader.
He also believes that his ethnicity should prove that he meant no harm:

“As a minority myself, I understand the trials and
tribulations associated with being a minority,” he wrote. “There was
no intent to harm, or to offend. Rather, I was trying to make
connections for the students, while completing my assignment of
cross-curricular integration.”

1 comment:

This hit [another] soft spot and, "ouch!" It hurts. My heart goes out to the students and their families. Microaggression after micro aggression... the death of one thousand cuts, no, one thousand beatings rather..